"You're in the middle of the ocean with no one around," he said. "You see whales, you see dolphins, you have all these different things."
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Thomas arrived to a crowd of supporters who know how far he has come. When he was just 19, he nearly lost his life in a DUI crash. Thomas was in a coma for three months. Now, he is helping others with traumatic brain injuries and using these ocean rides to shine light on it.
"I give them encouragement: singing, dancing, showing them that you can do it because I had a 5% chance to live. Prognosis poor, everything was just done, finished you know. I couldn't do anything, but here it is, you know," said Thomas.
Everything he does, he does with joy - and it's contagious.
"Matt's the guy that if you meet him, you won't ever forget him and he's overcome so much," said Jim Trenton, a radio personality.
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"It really is wonderful to see someone who's gone through trauma and a tragedy to bring the light and the positive part of the experience and help others get to that point," said Aime McCrory, event coordinator.
"It's inspiring man. I mean, I would never do what he's doing today," said Mark Jennings, of Cabo Cantina.
Thomas was never expected to function on his own, let alone ride a hydro-bike. Now he's crossing the ocean on one - an accomplishment that will be featured in a documentary at the Newport Beach Film Festival.
For more information on Matt's mission, visit www.positive-matters.org.